First day of Fifth Grade at Clara Muhammad
I had my first day as a volunteer at the Clara Muhammad school in Anacostia in DC. I joined the fourth/fifth grade class because its the largest (9) and most rambunctious (الشباب سيكونون شباب). As it was my first day there and the first few days of their school year, there was some confusion as to who I was, what I wanted, and what I should be doing… Anyways, some hilarious remarks from the eight-year-old students include:
“How do you get your hair to do that? Were you born with that hair?”
“I got sixteen bee stings on my arm” “No you didn’t.” “SIXTEEN!”
“the NCAA stands for National… College… America… Best America”
“Are you related to the Jonas brothers?” This one prompted a timeout from the teacher.
“One thing I would never do is pet a wolf.”
So every Monday I’m able to go there and act as a mentor/tutor and teach a little Arabic. I’m really excited about that and also to meet the kids’ families/more of the people behind the Masjid Muhammad/Clara Muhammad connection.
